“Our classmates have dubbed us “The Fab Four” because we’re always together,” Lilly informs her best friend, her brother and
her boyfriend one day after school while they’re hanging out by the Kane’s pool.

“Isn’t that what they called The Beatles?” Duncan asks.

Lilly rolls her eyes. “Well, duh, we’re much cooler than the stupid Beatles, Donut,” she tells him with an exaggerated sigh.

“I’d rather be The Fantastic Four,” Logan says. “They have super powers.”

Veronica is ready with the answer she knows her best friend wants. “I like The Fab Four,” she says.

“At least one of you is smart,” Lilly beams at Veronica. “Honestly, do you think boys will be this stupid forever?”

Logan stands up, walks over to where Lilly is laying, and hoists her over his shoulder. He carries her to pool and
unceremoniously tosses her in. Duncan laughs heartily, but Veronica tries to hide her giggles because she knows Lilly is going to
be pissed.

If Veronica were truthful, she would say they are more like a square dance than the fab four. But Veronica always agrees with
Lilly, because that’s her role. The four of them move through life in a series of intricately designed steps.

Lilly is their queen. She decides what they do, when they do it and has reserved the right to change her mind at any time. She’s
wild and uninhibited and is determined to squeeze every drop of fun she can out of life.

Logan is her court jester. He provides mocking support, but generally backs up whatever crazy scheme Lilly has come up with.
He’s also the one who knocks her off her pedestal occasionally.

Duncan is the royal advisor. He tries to be the voice of reason, but isn’t above going behind Lilly’s back if he thinks she’s gone
off the deep end.

Veronica is the lady in waiting. She appeases Lilly’s mood swings and always tells Lilly exactly what she wants to hear. She
learned the hard way that stepping outside of her assigned role is not worth the result.

As long as they all stay within their roles, the dance works. They have fun, but not too much fun. If one of them betrays their
role, they get out of time with the music and it’s hard to get back in rhythm.

If someone had told Veronica Mars two years ago that she would be torn between Logan Echolls and Duncan Kane, she would
have blushed and giggled, insisting that she and Duncan were in love forever and that Logan and Lilly, despite their
break-up/make-up cycle, were destined to be together.

She has learned since then that the saying about time and innocence is true. She lost a lot of both in the fallout of Lilly’s murder
and she knows she can never reclaim them.

A part of her mind is stuck on endless repeat of the memories of the four of them in better days. Before Lilly started cheating on
Logan all the time. Before Duncan found out that Veronica might be their sister and dumped her. Before Veronica fell in love
with Logan.

She wonders if people who get lost in the Bermuda Triangle are stuck in limbo like her memories. Do they realize that the world
continues to spin around them?

Veronica knows that Duncan will always be her first love, but she doesn’t know if she can forgive and forget all the hell he put
her through. He’s been overly attentive since the night they solved Lilly’s murder and she told him they were not related, but she
knows she can’t regain her innocence. Their breakup nearly did her in. She understands why he did it, but she’ll never forget the
sleepless nights, wondering what she did wrong. Then she spent a year thinking she had been raped, because Duncan couldn’t
take responsibility for his actions.

She isn’t sure how Logan can forgive her and move past her betrayal. She told him she trusted him and then turned around and
handed him over to the police because he lied about his alibi on the day of Lilly’s death. Her actions led to his fight with Weevil
and the PCHers, which led to his murder charge. Sure, she stood by him on that, but did it really cancel out the fact that it was
her fault it happened?

She also knows that Logan and Duncan have not spoken to each other since before Duncan ran off to Cuba. They were best
friends and she feels like she’s come between them.

They’re all lost without Lilly to guide them. Their perfect square dismantled, leaving them a triangle in theory only.

Title: The Circle of Life
Characters: Veronica & Logan
Series: Part 3 of The Angles Series
Rating: PG
Written For: fanfic100 Prompt #44 - Circle
Author's Notes: Much love, as always, to the incomprable storydivagirl

Veronica walks into the living room after placing the last batch of snickerdoodles in the oven. Logan is dozing in his favorite
chair, the baby asleep on his chest. The twins are mesmerized by the animated movie on the television. The lyrics of the song
currently playing catch her attention.

It's the Circle of Life and it moves us all
Through despair and hope; Through faith and love
Till we find our place, On the path unwinding
In the Circle, The Circle of Life

Tears fill her eyes. She can’t help but think of all the despair and hope and faith and love she has gone through to get to where
she is in her life.

She lost two years of her life to despair after Lilly was killed. Two years of searching for answers, betraying friends and missing
her old life every day. And finding the truth didn’t magically make things better. She had to deal with the aftermath of Aaron’s
attack on her, her father’s near death experience, Logan’s trial and the mysterious bus crash that killed a number of
classmates.

After it was discovered that the bus crash didn’t have anything to do with Veronica, she was able to move past despair to hope.
She finally figured out that she wanted and needed to be with Logan. For his part, he finally figured out that his living on the edge
lifestyle wasn’t working, stopped hanging out with Dick and begged Veronica for a second chance. She was all too happy to
grant it, and despite a few rough patches, they’ve been happy together.

Faith and love got them through those rough patches, including a health scare with Keith, Aaron almost being released on parole,
and Duncan’s suicide attempt when he finally accepted that he and Veronica would never be together again.

“Hey,” Logan says groggily when he sees his wife standing next to him with tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

She offers him a watery smile. “Nothing, just standing here thinking about how happy I am.”

His expression shows that he doesn’t believe her. “If you’re so happy, why the tears?” he asks gently, shifting the baby to one
side so he can pull her down on the arm of the chair.

“Tears of joy, Logan,” she says, cuddling with him and their son.

“Mommy, whatcha’ doin’?” a small voice asks. She smiles at her twins. Lilly was the one that asked the question, of course. She
was the more vocal of the girls; always determined to get answers. She was certainly named right.

“Cuddling with Daddy and LJ,” she says. “Would you and Lynnie like to join us?”

Both girls climb onto the chair in response.

“Be careful,” Logan warns his daughters. “You don’t want to hurt your brother.” He checks to ensure his namesake is still
sleeping.

As the smell of baking cookies fills the room, Veronica takes a moment to appreciate her place in the circle of life.